News about Apple "working on" wrist-worn do-it-all consumer devices made its triannual return, with a New York Times report claiming the company is experimenting with curved glass display technology to prototype a wrist-worn iOS device.

Such Dick Tracy watches aren't new, with Sony launching its Android-driven Smart Watch lineup in 2012. While Sony's creations aren't exactly the rage, they may have stimulated Apple just enough to work on a category-leading device. One could look back to the time when Apple single-handedly resurrected the clinically dead tablet computing industry with the iPad.

A part of the iPad's success lied in its touch-optimized UI, light weight, and battery life that half-baked Windows XP-driven tablets could barely match. While Sony Smart Watch covers most Android-based functionality, such as tethering internet off your Android smartphone getting you calls, media streaming, and social-media updates, it looks like a big, bulky, and nerdy watch. That leaves Apple with an area to exploit (which it's particularly good at), product design. With reports of Apple experimenting with curved glass technology, which is still in its infancy, Apple could be making more serious efforts at wrist-worn devices than those which were reported in 2007 and 2010.